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In spring, I almost lost my sight to a rare medical condition and then I almost lost my life from a blood clot in the artery in my brain.I learned about the fragility of life.

We are not safe; we are mortal.At any time our expiration date could come.I no longer felt like an invincible 21-year-old who could do anything.What followed—anxiety, panic attacks, and PTSD—still plague me.

On September 11, 2001, I learned my world was not safe and America was not invincible.

On that day, I did it all.I watched the second plane crash into the second tower.I saw the towers fall down with a mixed group of students and professors in the communications lab at college.I prayed with my atheist college professor and attended a prayer service on campus and at my local church.

Here in Allentown, Pennsylvania—smashed between New York City and Philadelphia—we felt the shattering of the world.Places familiar to us on school field trips or one-day jaunts into the “city” to catch a Broadway musical became scenes of horror and death.

I vividly remember seeing news footage of thousands of now useless business papers floating in the air among the ash.

And just after that, the anthrax letters began to come and I wondered if it was the end of the world.

But, no, it was just the end of the safe world I had lived in until that day, really until that year.The contaminated air of cynicism and “the way the world really is” ripped a hole into my bubble of idealism.My sense of safely and idealism was the air I breathed.

I didn’t know I was suffocating until years later.I didn’t realize everything 2001 took from me.However, I see how it showed me who I am and who I want to be.It helped define me as a woman with compassion, love, and someone who would minister to the hurt of others.

Not only was it a defining moment for me, but also our nation.

We lost lives that day and we became patriotic for a few months.And now look at us—remembering where we were that day but forgetting WHO WE ARE AS PEOPLE.

Despite all the things we lost on September 11, 2001, we gained a sense of humanity, exchanging smiles, and stories.We had all been part of something TOGETHER and that’s how we survived as a COMMUNITY mourning in shock, in fear, but also in LOVE.

Yes, life changed for many Americans in 2001, but let us remember the lessons of the past, not just the people we lost, but the TOGETHERNESS we gained.From loss and grief, there is always GAIN and we must NEVER lose sight of that as a nation or we will crumble from within.

Eight years ago today, I was a senior just starting my Fall semester at college. It had been a trying year with major surgery, a near-death experience, and a total of over two weeks in the hospital. I was ready to put the terror behind me and move on with my life. But—that day—September 11, 2001—showed me that we are all vulnerable, as individuals and as a nation. I remember the days following 9/11. People proudly displayed the American flag, instead of burning it. Red, white, and blue ribbons were worn by many to show our support for the men and women who lost their lives that day, for the rescuers who were still digging through the rubble, and to say, I am an American.

We, as a nation, have lost that spirit. Will it take another terrorist attack to remind us how much we need each other? Or to wrap ourselves in red, white, and blue again? This is something that goes beyond what our government is doing, but a basic pride in our country and in our fellow man. It’s not popular to say, “I love living in the United States. I love being an American.” But I say it and I am proud to say it. Our country is great, despite her faults, and she is a beacon of hope to so many who are dying to enter her walls. We determine her future by our actions and through our prayers. By standing up for what is right and arguing against what is wrong, we are using our liberty and freedom gifted to us through the blood, sweat, and tears of so many patriots.

Today as I say a prayer for those still healing from the wounds inflicted eight years ago, for the families who never saw their loved ones come home, and for our nation, I will also thank God for the freedom He has given me to proclaim His name, to hold Bible studies for woman, and for allowing me to live in this great nation. I will say it again—I am proud to be an American.

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About Amy

Amy Sondova is a writer specializing in media writing, including interviews and reviews, as well as blogging. Having interviewed over a gazillion of the top musicians, writers, and speakers in the Christian media, Amy has also written countless columns, reviews, and articles on various topics including mental illness, self-injury, working with teenagers, and Christianity. Amy currently writes youth Bible studies, for her blog, SheIsBeloved.com, runs Share Beauty Project (ShareBeautyProject.com), and is currently working on her first book. She lives with BFF Sarah and has a Shih Tzu named Maddy, a cockatiel named Arrow, King Karl the Snail, and a fish tank known as The Bachelor Pad. She just might be Captain America's fiance.